Suture dispenser



Jan. 11, 1955 c, HQRINE 2,699,296

SUTURE DISPENSER Filed D80- 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR @2115 I Her/x1e ATTORNEY Jan. 11, 1955 c. F. QHORINE SUTURE DISPENSER Filed Dec; 1, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR" F7 16. Cj ras FHor/ne ATTORNEY Jan. 11, 1955 c. F. HORINE SUTURE DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 1, 1955 IN VENTOR 63, 315 Her/"e.

ATTORNEY United States Patent SUTURE DISPENSER Cyrus F. Horine, Baltimore, Md.

Application December 1, 1953, Serial No. 395,365

10 Claims. (Cl. 242--1) The present invention relates in general to suture dispensers and more particularly to a novel form applicable in use with surgical catgut which has been processed for use in packages by wrapping or looping the catgut about a bendable semistiif strip of fiber card-like reel or bobbin having two retaining prongs on each end thereof.

After the packages are made up they are sealed into a transparent tube (such as glass) containing alcohol or other suitable liquid to maintain them in a moistened and sterilized condition until they are ready for use. When the time comes to use the sutures the container is opened and the reel removed. The catgut is then manually unwound from the reel. This is a clumsy procedure resulting in a loss of time at critical periods. Also after the suture is removed from the reel it often becomes knotted and tangled resulting further in the loss of time and material. After the suture is removed from the reel it is the practice to cut the strand into numerous pieces, or rewind it upon another type of reel from which it could be withdrawn at suitable lengths for ligatures or sutures. It is with the idea of improving the present method of gandling these sutures that the present invention has been evised.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a suitable suture dispenser which will automatically remove the suture from the reel or bobbin in an orderly arrangement and deposit the same upon a mandril from which it may be smoothly withdrawn in toto or in short lengths as the requirements demand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of such size and shape that it may be conveniently carried in the palm of one hand, the portion of the dispenser adapted to fit adjacent the palm proper being slightly tapergd to better fit the hand when the hand is partly close A further object of the invention is to provide means for discarding the reel member after the suture has been transferred to the mandril.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser in which very little skill is required to place the suture upon the mandril.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide such a dispenser with a minimum number of moving parts, the principal ones such as the frame and mandril being adapted to many of the well-known molding processes.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in its novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts, the principles of which are shown in the preferred embodiments in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the following specifications and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing the mandril completely inserted into the housing or frame member.

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view of the standard package reel and a diagrammatical view of the suture winding.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a sectional view only of the mandril shown in Figure 7.

2,699,296 Patented Jan. 11, 1955 Figure 9 is a sectional view of the housing or frame similar to Figure 7 with the mandril removed.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Figure 8.

In describing the detail structure of the device like characters will be used to point out like and similar parts throughout the several views.

The device is made up of two general parts, the frame or housing 12 and a mandril 14. Preferably, the frame is of elongated form along its top portion and reduced in length along its bottom portion as shown at 12. The frame or housing is substantially wider at its center as shown at 12" and tapers to a wedge-shaped form at its bottom as shown at 12" best shown in Figures 7 and 9. Extending through the large portion of the frame from the top 12" to the bottom 12 is an aperture or opening. The shape of the upper portion of the frame opening is circular, while the lower portion 12" is provided with tapered sides to form a wedge-shaped funnel like lower portion. This taper begins well within the top portion of the cavity, as shown best in Figures 7 and 9. The opening in the frame is adapted to receive the mandril 14 which will be hereinafter more fully described.

As stated hereinbefore, the frame is adapted to receive a standard reel and suture as illustrated in Figure 5, and is of such size as to fit snugly within the palm of the closed hand, with the tapered bottom adjacent the palm proper. The narrow end portions are provided with narrow slots 16 and 18, which are adapted to receive the ends of the reel 20 with a friction fit as shown in Figure 1, for holding the flat side surfaces of the reel in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the top of the device. There is positioned centrally of the frame cavity or opening a rigid reel guide and suture support 22. The upper portion of the members 22 is provided with a slot 24 of substantially the same width and depth as the end slots 16 and 18. This central member 22 is also provided with projections 22', 22" for receiving the reel near its center and for initially separating the suture loop from the sides of the reel adjacent the center of the reel as the reel is inserted edge-wise into the end and central slots.

Below the slots 16 and 18 in the end areas of the frame are enlarged openings 26 and 27, 'an end view of which is shown in Figure 3. The width of these openings is slightly wider than the width of the reel in order that the reel may lie cross-wise after it has passed beyond the initial holding slots. Located atthe bottom of the openings 26 and 27 are projections 26' (not shown) and 27. These projections, or arbors, are located directly below the end slots 16 and 18 and their purpose is to aid the reel in quickly assuming the horizontal position. While the opening in the frame adjacent the top is of circular form, the opening adjacent the bottom is of rectangular form as shown best in Figure 4. It will be noted that the bottom opening is slightly wider than the reel in order that the reel may be easily moved therethrough. Adjacent each side of the lower or narrow portion of the frame are recesses 28 and 29. These recesses are likewise slightly wider than the reel 20 in order to guide the reel from its location within the end openings 26 and 27 on its movement to the bottom end of the frame,

Extended inwardly from each side of the opening and substantially on a line with the lower edges of the slots 16 and 17 of the frame are fingers 30, 32, 34 and 36. One set of fingers 30 and 32 are located adjacent the lower inner end of the slot 16 of the frame and fingers 34 and 36 are located adjacent the lower innerend of the slot 18 adjacent the opposite side of the frame. The opening between each set of fingers is substantially the same as the width of the slots 16 and 17. The fingers are adapted to slide along the sides of the reel and engage the suture loop. These fingers extend a substantial distance into the frame opening which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The mandril or bobbin 14 is designed to fit within the frame opening as shown best in Figures 4 and 7. It will be noted that the contours of the mandril follow substantially that of the opening. The mandril has a circular upper end and a wedge-shaped lower end as shown at 14'. Along the lower edge of the wedge-shaped edge is a groove 14" adapted to engage the upper edge of the reel 20 in forcing the reel through the frame opening.

The mandril is preferably provided with a shoulder groove 11 of substantial size having an abutting shoulder at both sides of the groove. Below the lower shoulder the mandril has a slightly increased diameter 14" from which a taper is extended along two of its sides, as shown at 13 and 13, to its bottom end 14. The lateral edges 15 and 15' of the mandril are substantially parallel as shown in Figure 4. The tapered portion of the mandril is slotted to receive the central reel guide member 22 as shown at 17 and 17' in Figures 8 and 10. The upper ends 17" and 17" of the slots 17 and 17' contact the upper ends of the members 22 and 22" to form a stop for the mandril as the mandril is pressed into the frame opening. It will be noted that the central guide 22 does not extend entirely across the frame opening, but is formed of two members which extend outwardly from each side leaving a space between the members which is the before mentioned slot 24. Below the slot 24 the two members are further cut back to accommodate the width of the reel when the reel is in its horizontal position after it has been moved beyond the initial hold slots. Therefore, the mandril is only provided with slots 17 and 17' along its tapered faces and the width of the slot 24 is retained by the mandril as shown best at 19 in Figure 10. This partition 19 acts as a guide for the mandril as it is being moved through the frame opening to prevent the mandril from tilting and to maintain the proper clearances from the ends of the frame during the stripping operation. Also the edges of the mandril are grooved or slotted as shown at 19 and 19' into which the fingers 30 to 36 may be slidably received. Extending about the groove 14 is a relatively pliable cushioned ring 38, preferably of relatively soft rubber. This rubber ring is adapted to be replaceable and is for receiving the suture after it has been stripped from the reel 20. This ring is formed with a slight recessed circumferential groove 38 about its bottom and central section having an extended lip portion 38" adjacent its top por tion and adjacent the upper shoulders of the groove 11 of the mandril. This lip 38" is adapted to contact the upper circular edge of the frame opening for controlling the unwinding of the suture from the mandril.

The reel 20 as shown in Figure 6 is marked as shown at 20 and 20" to indicate the direction of the winding of the suture on the reel and to designate which edge of the reel is to be first inserted into the initial holding slots.

With the detail structure of the device being fully disclosed its operation and use is as follows:

In order to use the device a reel containing a suture wrapped thereon is removed from its sterilized container. The mandril is removed from the frame. The frame or housing is held in the palm of the hand which is partly closed about the tapered sides of the frame. The reel is then taken in the other hand, with the marked edge up, and placed edge-wise into the end slots 16 and 18 and the central slot 23 and pressed downwardly by the thumb until the top edge of the reel is substantially even with the top of the frame. At this point the bottom end of the wedge-shaped mandril is placed over the central guide 22 having its end groove 14" straddling the upper edge of the reel. The mandril is moved inwardly into the frame opening pushing the reel before it. As the ends of the reel 20 are moved downwardly toward and into the end openings 26 and 27, the fingers traveling within the grooves 19 and 19 of the mandril will engage the suture at each end of the loop and prevent the suture from moving further through the frame opening. At the same time the upper elements 22' and 22" of the central guide member 22 will move between the reel side surfaces and the suture loop and start spreading the suture into circular form. As the ends of the reel 20 reach the openings 26 and 27 the reel will spring to a sidewise position, or to a 90 degree angle to its initial course. The edge of the reel will slip out of the groove 14 and the outer edges of the groove or the wedge-shaped end of the mandril will come in full contact with the flat side of the reel and continue to move it through the frame. As the reel is turning, the suture being held by the fingers 30 and 36 will slip over the distal points of the prongs 21 and 21 of the reel and be forced into a circular loop by the wedge-shaped surfaces of the mandril. After the reel has turned as stated above and is in a position in which its flat parallel surfaces are perpendicular to the vertical axis of the frame openingas shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, it will begin to bow under the pressure of the bottom end of the mandril. The ends of the reel will fall within thegrooves 28 and 29 adjacent the bottom of the frame as the central section of the reel is pushed through the frame opening clear of the bottom where it may be easily taken and manually discarded. While the bottom portion of the mandril is extracting the reel, the suture is more and more being formed into a circular loop by the tapered sides of the mandril. By the time the mandril has been fully seated into the frame opening the suture has been formed into a loop which is substantially that of the circumference of the cushion ring 38. As the mandril is moved through the opening, the suture is supported upon the fingers and the upper edge 22" of the central guide member 22. The taper of the mandril moves the suture outwardly along the upper surface of the central guide to a point where the suture moves from over the end fingers by changing the loop from a rectangular one to a more circular form. When the suture moves over the fingers the ends of the suture are in line with the rubber cushion ring 38 which it will engage. As the suture is moved outwardly along the central guide by the mandril, it will move past the upper extended portion 14 of the taper of the mandril on to the cushion 38. By this time the edge 38 of the cushion has come in contact with the outer rim of the frame opening. After the mandril has been completely inserted within the frame, the suture may be unwound from the mandril by pulling on the free outer end which will be left outside the frame before the mandril is inserted.

By this use of the device it is easily seen that a suture may be quickly and easily stripped from its reel and the reel moved quickly to the bottom of the device where it can be easily manually removed and discarded. At the same time the suture is deposited about the soft rubber ring where it can be easily and quickly removed as required without the probability of knotting, and in a form where it may be cut to proper lengths whereby material and handling time may be saved.

While the preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is not intended that it be a limitation as it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible to various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, that only such limitation shall be placed thereupon as is imposed by the prior art or as is specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device for removing looped suture strand from a bendable reel and for dispensing the same comprising, a frame having a tapered aperture extending therethrough, a mandril having a wedge-like taper at one end thereof adapted to fit within said tapered aperture, a rigid support carried by the wall and adjacent the two ends of the frame for temporarily supporting the reel and suture, a plurality of fingers carried by the frame adjacent the temporary end supports for engaging the looped suture when the bendable reel is forced beyond its temporary location, the tapered end of the mandril being formed to engage the central section of the reel within the looped suture for forcing the reel through the aperture within the frame, thereby leaving the suture encircling the mandril.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1 in which the oppos1te end of the mandril is provided with a resilient area encircling the same of such width as to accommodate the looped suture.

3 In a device as set forth in claim 1 in which the opp os1te end of the mandril is provided with a circumferentral recess encircling the same of such width as to accommodate the looped suture and a separate resilient member carried within said recess.

4. In a device for removing looped suture thread from a fiat flexible reel and for dispensing the same comprismg, an outer supporting frame having a tapered opening extending therethrough, a mandril having a wedge-like taper at one end thereof adapted to fit within the said tapered opening, a groove extending along each edge of the tapered end portion of the mandril parallel with the elongated axis of the mandril a pair of fingers carried by the frame adjacent each end of the frame and extending inwardly into the opening of the frame and slidably engaging the respective edge grooves as the mandril is moved in and out of the opening, the frame being provided with a slot on a prolongated line extending be-.

ll tween each of the two end fingers for temporarily supporting the reel perpendicular to the sliding axis ofthe mandril, the tapered end of the mandril being formed to engage the central section of the reel within the loop for forcing the reel through the opening within the frame, thereby leaving the suture encircling the mandril.

5. In a device for removing looped suture strand from a bendable flat reel and for dispensing the same, comprising a hollow outer frame of such size as to be conveniently carried in the palm of the hand, a mandril having a wedge-like taper at one end thereof adapted to be slidably receivable within the hollow portion of the frame and adapted to engage the reel within the looped suture, means carried adjacent the hollow portion and at each end centrally of the frame for temporarily supporting the reel across the hollow opening in the frame with its elongated axis perpendicular and its fiat side surfaces parallel with the sliding axis of the mandril, the reel being supported in such a position as to be engageable by the tapered end of the mandril for moving the same through the hollow frame, suture engaging means carried by the frame adjacent each end thereof for engaging and temporarily supporting the suture at a predetermined point within the frame as the reel is moved beyond its temporary location by the said mandril, thereby leaving the suture encircling the mandril.

6. In a device as claimed in claim 5 including a recess located below each of the two temporary end reel supports of greater diameter than the width of the reel for allowing the reel to make a 90 turn after it has passed beyond the temporary holding means.

7. In a device for stripping suture strand looped about a bendable flat reel and for dispensing the same, comprising a frame member having a tapered aperture extending therethrough from bottom to top and of such size as to be conveniently carried in the palm of the hand, a mandril having a wedge-like taper at one end thereof adapted to be slidably receivable within the said frame aperture, temporary suture supports located at each end and centrally of the frame in the form of slots, the slots being of such width as to form a frictional sliding fit with the thickness of the reel, the temporary supports supporting the reel and looped suture and substantially centrally of the said apertures with the elongated axis of the reel perpendicular and its flat surface parallel with the sliding axis of the mandril, the reel being supported in such a position as to provide for the wedgelike tapered end of the mandril to engage the edge of the reel within the looped suture for stripping the suture from the reel and moving the same through the hollow frame to a point where it may be manually removed from the device, thereby leaving the suture within the frame encircling the mandril.

8. In a device as claimed in claim 7 having a turning space provided below the temporary reel supporting means for allowing the reel to turn after the suture has been stripped therefrom.

9. In a device as claimed in claim 7 having a turning space below the initial reel supporting means for allowing the reel to turn 90 after the suture has been stripped therefrom, a groove extending from the turning space to the bottom of the aperture along each end of the frame for accommodating the ends of the reel as the reel is moved through the aperture.

10. In a device as claimed in claim 7 in which the central reel support is supported from the sides of the frame in a plane perpendicular to a line extending through the center of the slots in the end supports, a groove extending along each side of the tapered portion of the mandril of such length and depth as to allow the central reel support to extend upwardly into the mandril to a point at least as far as a line connecting the bottom edges of the end supporting slots.

No references cited. 

